SCHO vs. BSV

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHO) and Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BSV).

SCHO and BSV are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SCHO is a passively managed fund by Charles Schwab that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index. It was launched on Aug 5, 2010. BSV is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. 1–5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index. It was launched on Apr 3, 2007. Both SCHO and BSV are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

SCHO vs. BSV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHO) and Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BSV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SCHO vs. BSV - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SCHO Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF	0.24%	5.49%	3.65%	4.31%	-3.87%	-0.64%	3.11%	3.47%	1.37%	0.33%
BSV Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares	0.13%	6.00%	3.78%	4.90%	-5.49%	-1.09%	4.70%	4.98%	1.34%	1.20%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SCHO achieves a 0.24% return, which is significantly higher than BSV's 0.13% return. Over the past 10 years, SCHO has underperformed BSV with an annualized return of 1.71%, while BSV has yielded a comparatively higher 1.97% annualized return.

SCHO

• 1D: 0.08%
• 1M: -0.45%
• YTD: 0.24%
• 6M: 1.40%
• 1Y: 3.77%
• 3Y*: 3.99%
• 5Y*: 1.79%
• 10Y*: 1.71%

BSV

• 1D: 0.14%
• 1M: -0.78%
• YTD: 0.13%
• 6M: 1.33%
• 1Y: 4.13%
• 3Y*: 4.27%
• 5Y*: 1.68%
• 10Y*: 1.97%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

SCHO vs. BSV - Expense Ratio Comparison

Both SCHO and BSV have an expense ratio of 0.03%, making them cost-effective options compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios typically range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

SCHO

Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF

BSV

Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares

Return for Risk

SCHO vs. BSV — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

SCHO

SCHO Risk / Return Rank: 97
SCHO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 96
SCHO Sortino Ratio Rank: 98
SCHO Omega Ratio Rank: 96
SCHO Calmar Ratio Rank: 96
SCHO Martin Ratio Rank: 96

BSV

BSV Risk / Return Rank: 93
BSV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 93
BSV Sortino Ratio Rank: 96
BSV Omega Ratio Rank: 93
BSV Calmar Ratio Rank: 92
BSV Martin Ratio Rank: 92

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

SCHO vs. BSV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHO) and Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BSV). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	SCHO	BSV	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.49	2.08	+0.41
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	4.00	3.31	+0.69
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.51	1.41	+0.10
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	4.44	3.25	+1.19
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	17.55	12.45	+5.10
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SCHO vs. BSV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SCHO Sharpe Ratio is 2.49, which is comparable to the BSV Sharpe Ratio of 2.08. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SCHO and BSV, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	SCHO	BSV	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.49	2.08	+0.41
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.91	0.62	+0.29
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	1.11	0.83	+0.27
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.00	0.86	+0.14

Correlation

The correlation between SCHO and BSV is 0.78, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

SCHO vs. BSV - Dividend Comparison

SCHO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.00%, more than BSV's 3.90% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SCHO Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF	4.00%	4.06%	4.29%	3.76%	1.34%	0.41%	1.27%	2.27%	1.60%	1.12%	0.82%	0.68%
BSV Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares	3.90%	3.83%	3.38%	2.46%	1.50%	1.45%	1.79%	2.29%	1.99%	1.65%	1.48%	1.40%

Drawdowns

SCHO vs. BSV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SCHO drawdown since its inception was -5.69%, smaller than the maximum BSV drawdown of -8.54%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SCHO and BSV.

Drawdown Indicators

	SCHO	BSV	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-5.69%	-8.54%	+2.85%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-0.86%	-1.29%	+0.43%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-5.69%	-8.54%	+2.85%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-5.69%	-8.54%	+2.85%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-0.45%	-0.78%	+0.33%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.61%	-0.98%	+0.37%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.22%	0.34%	-0.12%

Volatility

SCHO vs. BSV - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHO) is 0.52%, while Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BSV) has a volatility of 0.77%. This indicates that SCHO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than BSV based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SCHO	BSV	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.52%	0.77%	-0.25%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	0.87%	1.19%	-0.32%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.52%	2.00%	-0.48%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	1.97%	2.71%	-0.74%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	1.55%	2.37%	-0.82%